Crack Tracks: Feeding Your EDM Addiction - Volume 8

Published: February 25, 2014

By: Jordan Calvano

The mantra of Crack Tracks is simple: “We scour the Internet so you don’t have to.” Every single day we find stunning tracks that we don’t have time to post, and that can get frustrating. There are too many good artists going unnoticed on The Untz, and this series is our attempt to further put a dent in all the electronic music that continues to stream from far reaching corners of the world.

With Crack Tracks, we want to focus on artists and specific styles that aren’t getting as much attention here. This weekly series will highlight some of our favorite songs that we haven’t already covered, targeting artists releasing music more addicting than crack itself. The type of music you can’t get enough of. One hit just won't suffice. Are you ready to get high with us?

RÜFÜS – Desert Night (Hybrid Minds Remix)This remix is a dream come true for us. UK duo Hybrid Minds taking on one of the most compelling tracks to date from Australia’s own RÜFÜS, and doing it with style and finesse. You couldn’t have seen this coming. No one could imagine that “Desert Night” would get a liquid treatment from some of the most promising names in drum ‘n’ bass, but that’s exactly what happened. The coalescence of these two forces works like a charm, serving up visceral instrumentations under the song’s original vocals and making it feel like a collaboration as opposed to a remix.

Hamertje Tik – Sleepless Nights (GANZ Remix)February has been good to GANZ. The Dutch producer released a stellar edit of Hermitude x Flume, appeared on a Rinse FM mix with Plastician, and most recently unveiled this futuristic take on “Sleepless Nights” from Hamertje Tik. Describing this remix as catchy doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Addicting would be a much better adjective. It grapples the listener in every feasible way, leading them to dance in unison with the tune’s fluctuating melodies and chopped up vocal samples. GANZ is about to take over, so we suggest jumping on for the ride.

Golden Features – Golden Features EPAnother mystery man has entered the world of electronic music, and he goes by the name Golden Features. We’ve been scraping to find any information on said producer these past few days, and basically came up empty handed. So far, we know exactly this: he is from Australia, has lots of connections and already received airplay on Triple J, and “Tell Me” features uncredited vocals from the Sydney based vocalist Nicole Millar. Regardless, we couldn’t be more stoked on this four track EP that came out of nowhere. Each song features an entirely divergent style of bass music, ranging from deep and more upbeat house sections to UK Garage and future beats. The golden masked man has arrived with a bang, once again proving that anonymity can truly work when executed properly.

Flechette – BonesPut your party caps on people, because Crack Tracks is about to get wild. The French collective know as Flechette provides us with “Bones,” stepping up their game on an anthemic cut that can only be described as Persian trap. That’s right. We’re getting weird this week. The song’s introduction goes heavy on the Middle Eastern, mixing samples of horse neighs with clashing snares, fidgety synthesizers, and torpedoing soundwaves. Then comes the drop, and that’s when jaws will start dropping. We get a minimalistic sound design that focuses on unorthodox drum patterns; mixing perfectly with more hilariously placed vocal samples including lots more neighing. Maybe we should call it horse trap instead?

Mibbs – Rollin (Jarreau Vandal Remix)

We assume by now you’ve either got some good headphones on are bumping Crack Tracks through massive speakers, but this is your friendly reminder in case that hasn’t happened yet. The reason is Jarreau Vandal’s intricate sound design, executing a layered approach to production that shan’t be degraded on the sub par speakers of your computer or phone. “Rollin” is no different; once again showing off the Dutch musician’s undeniably fresh sound that utilizes 808’s, soothing guitar, and dripping wet drum reverb. Pair this with the steady flow of Mibbs and you’ve got an absolutely tantalizing track that does not disappoint. How does he do it?

Androma – Kaya“Kaya” instantly caught our attention the second we pressed play and hasn’t let up since.
Something about the song’s equally lush and deep instrumentations pull you right in, rocketing your serotonin to uncharted territories for six unforgettable minutes. On top of that is an immediately recognizable vocal sample from Moby’s “Natural Blues,” carefully floating alongside lofty instrumentations while injecting unrelenting nostalgia. It’s not surprising that Androma is from Paris. You get that feeling of eating breakfast alongside the Seine River, taking your time while staring into the eyes of someone you love. Drinking wine, eating gelato, and simply letting your troubles fall by the wayside.

MOSIS – You&Me“You&Me” is guaranteed to leave you melting into whatever dance floor, bedroom, or piece of furniture that currently supports your frame. It strikes up that perfect balance between poignant and blissful, resulting in listeners becoming cocooned in utter emotion from the very first note. Where is MOSIS from you might ask? Europe or Australia was our first guess, but the crafty producer is actually from Denver. This is by no means the staple of Colorado’s bass music scene right now, but we commend the burgeoning producer for making the music he enjoys instead of simply following suit. It also appears Two Fresh has a remix planned for this song, so keep your eyes open for that.

Darius – Romance EPSometimes passion is best expressed without any words. Maybe it’s an innocent smile to the person you just met across the room, or holding hands with the one you love for hours without speaking. On Darius’ Romance EP, we get that exact sensation. The primarily instrumental release from the Bordeaux-based producer exerts immediate affection into any listener’s psyche, wooing them into instant submission as they fiend for a lover’s touch. They say French is the language of love, but Darius never even had to say a word. Damn, that’s impressive.

Congi – Jazz Joint (The North Virus x Rami.B Remix)Our initial introduction to The North Virus was a few weeks on Crack Tracks 4, bringing out the big guns with their hard-hitting InfekSion EP. This week though, we’ve got something much more low key for those lovers of downtempo bass music. Alongside fellow Canadian artist Rami.B, the Montreal based duo provides our eardrums with a consistently ethereal take on Congi’s “Jazz Joint,” lulling listeners into dream state with a fresh set of ambient soundscapes. Any problem you might possess becomes more and more distant as the song kicks further into gear, taking listeners on a bewitching journey that leads to unmitigated serenity.

TNGHT – Higher Ground (noï Remix)So far we’ve hit Western Europe hard with one producer from the United Kingdom, two from the Netherlands, and now four from good old France. Can you blame us though? This trifecta is bringing us some of the most forward thinking electronic music at the moment, and we can’t seem to look away. On “Higher Ground,” the producer out of Lyon pays tribute to Hudson Mohawke and Lunice’s recently severed project with a visceral remix that has dance-worthy written all over it. You can tell noï didn’t just throw this together in a few hours and call it good. He took his time, carefully weaving harmonious synthesizers underneath thunderous drum work and the original’s ubiquitous vocal sample.